ACTIVISTS ALLOW CONTRACTORS TO WORK ON KIOSKS IN PARK BUT HOPE MAYOR WILL ANNUL EARLIER DECISION
epress.am
02.14.2012
Environmentalists who for four days straight have been protesting the
construction of kiosks in the park next to the maternity hospital on
Mashtots Ave. in Yerevan this morning were disappointed to see work
carried out by construction workers.
“We heard construction noises; we came to see what was happening,”
one protestor, Yeghia Nersisyan, told Epress.am.
Several activists had blocked the entrance to the kiosk, prohibiting
contractors from entering. Their supervisor for a long time tried to
persuade activists to allow his workers to go inside and install a
few water pipes. In his opinion, what are the contractors, who are
assigned to come and continue their partially finished work, guilty of?
“These men have come from Hoktemberyan [the present-day city of
Armavir] and Abovyan – they’ve come such a long way to earn a few
wages. The other one has come to get paid for work – he has a patient
[most likely a family member] in the hospital and several issues for
which these people need money,” said the supervisor.
Despite the various arguments, the environmentalists spoke with the
workers and expressed fear that anyone could come and present such
arguments.
“If every day, someone comes and gets permission to do one or two jobs,
then what’s the point of our struggle of these past few days?
Let them wait till evening, until we see what the mayor decides,
then it will be clear what we’ll do,” said activist Arman Yaralyan.
The supervisor urged activists to allow the contractors to work today,
then after the meeting with the mayor, if necessary, he personally
will come and remove the water pipes.
“We will allow it, but only today. If they violate this condition,
I personally will come and break this kiosk’s glass; I myself will
dismantle those pipes,” said Yeghia Nersisyan.
Contractors then began installing the water pipes, while activists
continued their protest on the grounds, hoping that by this evening,
the issue will be resolved.
“The mayor’s position will be clear from our meeting with him (though
it’s already obvious that he’s in favor of the kiosks remaining here;
he’s already said so). In any case, we will stay until this issue
is resolved. I personally am not preparing to surrender and leave,”
said Arman Yaralyan.
According to him, many of the activists are bed ridden after standing
outside in freezing temperatures, since police didn’t allow them to
light a fire to keep warm.
“All of us know very well if they allow us to have a means of
heating here, none of us would leave. This is one of the authorities’
shrewd moves, which aims to break us and expel us from the park,”
said Yaralyan.